THE LUCKY ONES

They called themselves “the lucky ones.” They were seven children either orphaned or abandoned by their parents and chosen by legendary philanthropist and brain surgeon Dr. Vincent Capello to live in The Dragon, his almost magical beach house on the Oregon Coast. Allison was the youngest of the lucky ones living an idyllic life with her newfound family…until the night she almost died, and was then whisked away from the house and her adopted family forever.

Now, thirteen years later, Allison receives a letter from Roland, Dr. Capello’s oldest son, warning her that their father is ill and in his final days. Allison determines she must go home again and confront the ghosts of her past. She's determined to find out what really happened that fateful night--was it an accident or, as she's always suspected, did one of her beloved family members try to kill her?

But digging into the past can reveal horrific truths, and when Allison pieces together the story of her life, she'll learns the terrible secret at the heart of the family she once loved but never really knew.

Release Date: February 13, 2018

Harlequin MIRA

Gothic Mystery

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

I never quite know what to expect when I pick up a Tiffany Reisz book not in her Original Sinner series. I absolutely adore her writing voice, so I have to read everything she writes. The Lucky Oneswas a great story that I struggled to pick the right category to classify, so I went with gothic mystery, as Allison was trying to solve a mystery from the moment she received a letter about her former foster dad.

Dr. Vincent Capello took in the children it seemed no one wanted and made them a family. Allison came to live with the family after an altercation with another foster child in a new foster home. Allison seemed to fit in pretty much from the start and I loved how she slowly started to remember things from her childhood the more time she spent with her "siblings." Since Allison was never officially adopted by Dr. Capello, it was more of an emotional family connection, and the more time Allison and her "oldest brother" Roland spent together, it was obvious they were a perfect match for one another. 

I pretty much figured out what had happened to Allison long before she and Roland began investigating the other children who had lived there before Allison lived there and even a couple while she was there. While I didn't know all of the backgrounds of the kids until the reveal, I did figure out Dr. Capello had something to do with each of his kids being there or the kids that weren't there any longer. I loved seeing Allison reconnect with her siblings Thora and Deacon, and the humor that came from those 2 had me laughing out loud anytime they appeared on the page. The story was pretty serious, so I needed the levity I felt with them at times to get through some of the more serious and upsetting scenes. 

While the Original Sinners series of books will always be my favorite from Ms. Reisz, I have to say I've enjoyed each of her gothic mysteries she has put out each year as stand alone books. The Lucky Oneswas more of a mystery than a romance, but I loved there were still elements of romance throughout, and has been my favorite of her stand-alone books to date.

Rating: 4 Stars (B)